


The Knights of Oberon

by s_the_queen



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: BAMF Lucy Heartfilia, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Graylu Bromance, Post-Grand Magic Games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:19:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21696049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s_the_queen/pseuds/s_the_queen
Summary: Almost a decade has passed since one of Fairy Tail's strongest teams, The Knights of Oberon, went missing on a job and left the rest of the guild heartbroken. Now, three months after Fairy Tail's victory at the Grand Magic Games, Lucy's seeing the full scope of their grief and loss—most notably where Gray and the Thunder Legion are concerned.As she trains and learns more about her capabilities as a celestial wizard, strange things start happening in the guild. What happened to the Knights, and what on earth does it have to do with Lucy?
Relationships: Bickslow (Fairy Tail)/Original Female Character(s), Evergreen/Elfman Strauss, Freed Justine/Original Male Character(s), Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser, Laxus Dreyar/Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel/Lisanna Strauss
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	The Knights of Oberon

“We finally made it back.” Dag groaned, collapsing to his knees. 

“Well,” Ayla collapsed next to him. “Almost. But we’re probably never getting out of this rift, so this is as close as going to get.”

“How long until we fade?” Nole asked, sitting next to his teammates. Ayla shrugged, eyes drinking in as much of her surroundings as possible. 

“It took a lot to get back to here. You too are running low on magic energy.” She muttered. 

“After the rift finishes draining our magic energy, it’ll absorb our kinetic energy, then our souls.” Dag continued. “I only use this space as a gateway. We’re only supposed to be in here for a few seconds at a time. We’ve already been here too long—living things can’t survive in here. That sealing spell is keeping me from getting us back out, though. That said, we’ve got pretty large magic containers, so it could be a while. It’ll suck, though.”

“Well,” Nole sighed. “At least we made it back to Fairy Tail.”

* * *

“Morning Mira!” Lucy greeted the beautiful barmaid as she bounded forward to slip into her seat. They’d woken up from their seven-year nap only three months ago, and the Grand Magic Games had just passed. Winners. They were back on top with a brand new guild hall and an impressive underdog victory under their belt. Everyone’s spirits were high. 

“Morning Lucy. Your usual?”

“Yeah. Can you add protein? Capricorn’s on me about my diet and training.”

“Sounds good. Just give me a minute.”

As Mira walked away, Lucy turned her attention back to the rest of the Guild. She was running later than normal, so the place was packed. Natsu was chatting merrily with Happy, Lisanna, Warren, and Elfman; and Erza was eating strawberry cake while discussing the merits of various weapons with Pantherlily. Levy was chatting with Jet and Droy while Gajeel napped nearby. Cana was still asleep next to a barrel of unknown alcohol, but it would be noon soon, so she’d be starting her day with a fresh flagon any minute. 

Everything seemed normal. That is until the Thunder Legion walked into the guild. They made their way to their usual table, but everything about them seemed off. Bickslow’s totems were conspicuously absent and he was scowling. Evergreen’s hair was in a messy bun, and it looked like she was wearing one of the guys’ training shirts and a pair of black shorts. Freed’s hair was in a ponytail, and he was wearing a training outfit too, looking unkempt and sullen. In the time she’d known them, she’d never seen Bickslow without his babies, nor looking anything less than happy—if not mischievous. Evergreen was never _messy_. Even in training gear, she looked polished and lethal. Freed, on the other hand, was virtually never seen outdoors without proper clothing and perfectly coiffed hair. Furthermore, she’d never seen _any_ of the Thunder Legion in workout gear unless they were training. 

More than anything else, they just looked _gloomy_. 

“What’s up with them?” She asked Mira. Mira looked up from her task and glanced over at the Thunder Legion. She blanched, eyes flicking to the calendar, before dropping back to the task before her. 

“It’s not just them. Laxus and Gray will be in shitty moods, too.” She muttered. Lucy’s eyes widened. Mira rarely swore. 

“Your mood just tanked, too. What’s going on?”

Mira glanced around, taking in all the faces who hadn’t realized what day it was yet. She realized, however, that they’d all know as soon as Laxus or Gray arrived at the guild. They wouldn’t be quiet or subtle about it. 

“Nine years ago to the day, we received notice that a Fairy Tail team was defeated—obliterated. We searched for months and found nothing except scraps of clothes and armor from the fight. They were particularly close to the Thunder Legion, but one of them was Gray’s best friend. They’d been attached at the hip since he joined the guild.”

“Gray wasn’t talking to her when she left. They’d gotten into a huge fight.” Cana continued, sliding into the seat next to Lucy’s. “I don’t think you’ve ever been present or conscious for the anniversary. Gray’s awful to be around. You should go get a coat.”

Lucy’s eyes widened in surprise. “What, like he’ll lose control of his magic?” Cana shrugged. 

“He has in the past. When he wasn’t paying attention and his mood got worse. Especially when Ayla’s on his mind. He gets guilty and sad and angry and everything nearby gets frosty.”

“Laxus used to lose control, too.” Mira muttered. “Remember when we had metal bannisters on the stairs? One time, Gray froze them and Max got his hand stuck. Then Laxus electrocuted him on the way up to the S-Class lounge.”She glanced at Lucy knowingly.

“What’s that look for?” Lucy demanded.

“Your best friend and your wet dream are about to be the most intolerable people in the guild.” Cana chuckled. It lacked its usual level of humor. Lucy blushed anyways and socked Cana in the arm. 

“That’s supposed to be a secret!”

“Lucy, I’m hard-wired to spot romance.” Mira tutted. “I’ve known since we woke up on Tenrou.”

Lucy grimaced. “Anyways,” she grumbled. “Why were Gray and… _Ayla_ fighting?” She struggled to remember the name. She’d never heard it spoken before. 

“Ayla was about to start dating someone that Gray disapproved of. He didn’t trust the guy, but Ayla was falling in love with him. Gray made her pick. She didn’t. She grabbed a job, grabbed the Knights, and left. We never saw them again.” Cana explained, voice soft and words quick.

“Who was the guy?”

“We haven’t been able to find that out. Whoever it was seemed to be overshadowed once we lost them. The Thunder Legion and Gray were…explosive in their grief. Everyone else was distraught. It really made us face our mortality.” Mira replied. “Then we lost Lisanna, and we were all in a serious funk.:

All of a sudden, the temperature plummeted. “Oh, shit.” Cana grumbled. Lucy glanced over at the Thunder Legion, only to see them look even more defeated, expressions dark and sad. Conversation ground to a halt around them. Macau and Wakaba’s expressions went blank before their gazes dropped down to their glasses. 

Natsu grew uncharacteristically solemn, and Lisanna’s kind eyes grew sad. Happy looked close to tears. Warren, Elfman, and Max halted their debate, and Erza went silent, only speaking again to quietly explain the situation to Lily, Carla, and Wendy as she waited for Gray to arrive. Levy quietly did the same for Gajeel while Jet and Droy wilted beside them. 

When he finally arrived, Gray looked terrible. His eyes were bloodshot—his hair and clothes rumpled. His cool facade was decimated. The Thunder Legion made room for him at their table, and he joined them wordlessly. 

“What job did they go missing on?” Lucy asked. 

Mira glanced at her. “Why do you ask?”

“So I know what kinds of job to avoid for the next few weeks. It’s my turn to choose.” She murmured. It was growing almost unbearably cold around them. 

“Solo mage kidnapping civilians near Clover Town. The research they did beforehand suggested that the Mage worked with some sort of Spatial magic, and that the citizens were being used as some sort of sacrifice.” Cana told her. Lucy, now shivering, cut her eyes over to Natsu. He met her gaze, taking in her frozen form. She felt the temperature in the room pick up. Not enough to piss Gray off—just enough to keep the entire guild from getting frostbite. Lucy shot him a sad but grateful smile. 

* * *

“I hate that they’re still mourning us.” Ayla murmured. Her voice was raspy and thin—her skin pale and waxy. 

“You’d think they’d start to move on.” Nole replied. “It’s been nine years.”

“Not really.” Dag reminded him. “Nine for us.” His voice shook from the sheer effort of speaking. “They went missing for seven years, so it’s still fresh for them. Especially those five.”

“God, I think it’s actually colder in here.” Nole groaned, miserable. “I didn’t think it was possible.”

“They didn’t mourn together the second year. Only the first. That’s when Laxus went crazy and tried to overthrow the Master.” Dag continued, as though Nole hadn’t spoken. Then, he fell silent. They all did. Speaking too often used up too much energy. It tired them in mere moments, and began to hurt the longer they continued. This was a place of silence and stillness.

“I’m glad Lucy found Gray.” Ayla murmured, almost inaudible. “She’s good for him. For all of them, but especially him.”

“I can’t believe they’re a team. Gray, Natsu, and Erza.” Nole muttered. “And they haven’t murdered each other. If Blondie weren’t there…”

“If Miss Heartfilia weren’t there, they’d have either destroyed Fiore or never banded together.” Dag agreed. 

“I hope she sticks with them. Even after we’ve faded, I hope she’ll keep looking out for them.”

“I don’t think you have to worry. She’s incredibly loyal.” Dag muttered. “Even with the threat of eviction and destitution, she sticks with the team that spends most of their reward money on paying for repairs.”

Ayla smiled. “You’re right. They’re in good hands."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you liked it, you can stay tuned for updates by following me on [Tumblr](https://queen-swagzilla.tumblr.com/) and on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/queenswagzilla/)


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